Chapter thirteen

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The wind moved. The clouds moved. Life moved.

Were they dead yet?

Lucas stared out the window. Percy was upstairs. Keith quietly packed up our bags.

Life moved.

They were dead now. It had only been five minutes since the line had gone quiet but I felt it in my heavy heart, even if they were still breathing they would have taken care of matters by now. I couldn't think of it, I couldn't possibly picture their faces because I would scream and scream. Every time I blinked, I feared I would pass out or throw up. Shivering, shivering so intensely but still I walked, still I paced mindlessly, silently.

Life moved.

Life moved and because of my beautiful, smiling mother I could appreciate that. Because of my hilarious, warm hearted father I had a chance to make sure their memory lived on. Right now, my world was in pieces, so was Percy's – it was clear from the way he had nodded to us in silent understanding and walked upstairs like a ghost, barely tracing the steps. Keith hadn't gotten any answers either, I didn't know who he had called but he was holding himself together. Lucas; he smiled at me in such a way I had never seen him smile before. He told me we were going to be okay and he sat silently staring out the window every second from that moment.

We were struggling, but we were surviving.

When we put in every inch of effort my mother and father wanted us to, to leave this place and start afresh, we could remember them in the way we wanted, we could mourn properly. Right now, my eyes were full of heavy, heavy tears, my heart and head playing back conversations that should have happened, wonderful memories, memories I wished I could replace. But I couldn't. I could live for them, though.

There was no way they would die in vain.

'We need to leave' I announced, standing unsteadily on my feet. Four eyes jolted to meet me, both surprised, staring at me quizzically.

'Harley, you don't have to..' Lucas trailed off, breathing out slowly.

'I know. But can't you see? Can't you see that every second we stay here is a second that we could die and it all will have been pointless? When we leave, we can remember Mum and Dad in the way we need to. Not here, never here'.

A hush descended upon the room as my words lingered in the air before I had time to question the truth in them.

'The world' Keith began quietly, pausing with the bags to look up at me 'Is lucky that you survived, Sunshine'.

'Yeah' Lucas' voice was rough but he smiled nonetheless, walking slowly over to me, capturing my hands in his cold ones, 'Somewhere, our parents are  smiling because you've made them realise how much you've grown up in these last few years. I suppose I shouldn't be so protective anymore, you're a big girl now' he laughed, tears filling his eyes.

'We'll find Joel, it'll work' I returned his smile, tiptoeing to kiss him on the cheek so quickly that I narrowly avoided a stray tear.

'What's the plan, boss?' Lucas was grinning now, chucking me under the chin.

'Well, the time is..' I trailed off.

'8;21am' Keith picked up for me, lifting his shirt over his chest so slowly that I couldn't quite tear my gaze away. A small scar ran from the bottom of his hip to his stomach and I let my mind wonder what he'd done before all this that had caused him all that pain. His stomach, his shoulders, neck were just as gripping as his face and still even though I knew I shouldn't look, I just wanted to. I felt like we'd missed out on something, the both of us. Maybe this was nothing, maybe we'd both misread the signals but something told me otherwise, something told me that somehow, we'd found something in all this.

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